If you’ve decided to hire a general contractor for a kitchen renovation, you will quickly discover that you’ll have quite a few decisions to make over the next few months. The most critical decision when remodeling your kitchen, is determining your budget. It’s important that you and the general contractor are clear on your budget to ensure that expectations are always realistic throughout the home renovation process.
At Prince & Sons, we’ve helped a large number of clients in the Triangle area with kitchen remodels and during this time we’ve come up with a number of tips for ways to save money when it comes to remodeling your kitchen.
Tips to Keep in Mind During a Kitchen Renovation
- Avoid Moving Appliances – If at all possible when remodeling your kitchen, try to avoid moving the location of fixtures and appliances (sink, range, microwave, lights, refrigerator). There are significant costs that are associated with moving fixtures and appliances, and these costs can add up quickly.
- Save Money on Countertops – As popularity over the years has increased, granite countertops have become much more cost effective than you may imagine. Countertops are something that can easily be upgraded later, so if you’re looking for a way to save some money consider investing in Level 1 granite countertops as opposed to quartz or a higher-level Granite.
- Reuse Existing Appliances – If possible, reuse your existing appliances until you can afford to replace them. New appliances can easily be dropped in the place of old models so if you can avoid replacing them now you’ll likely save several thousand dollars.
- Avoid Moving Walls – When you begin to move walls, you start to get into structural and cosmetic changes which requires significantly more electrical, sheetrock, painting and flooring. In most cases, you will need an engineer’s approval letter or plan, which adds cost, to ensure the new layout is feasible and being built properly.
- Leave the Flooring – While this may not be possible, if you can manage to redesign your kitchen without tearing up the floor you’ll save significant money. When people look to have a more open concept kitchen they often forget that this often means tearing up and adding new flooring in multiple rooms as opposed to just one.
- Stick with a Design – One of the common causes of budget overruns has to do with customers who decide they’d like to change the design once the kitchen renovation process has begun. These costs can quickly add up and should be avoided if you’re looking to stay within your budget. Remember, you’re going to have a completely new kitchen, so sticking to your initial design will allow you to have a kitchen that’s incredibly attractive and functional without the costs of change orders.
Reach Out to Prince & Sons to Schedule A Kitchen Consultation
Ready to take the next step towards renovating your kitchen? If so, the team at Prince & Sons would be happy to schedule a consultation to discuss your needs and your budget. We can be reached by phone at 919-383-0888 or through our online contact form.
